James, Parker to pit enhanced skills since '07 NBA Finals meeting

The Spurs' Tim Duncan, right, got the better of then-Cavalier LeBron James in the NBA Finals in 2007. The two meet in the Finals again as the James-led Heat host the Spurs tonight in Game 1.

The Spurs' Tim Duncan, right, got the better of then-Cavalier...

MIAMI - They met in a hallway in the catacombs of Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena in the champagne-soaked moments following an NBA Finals sweep.

San Antonio's Tim Duncan, mere minutes into life as a four-time champion, embraced LeBron James, thanked the 22-year-old Cavaliers star for allowing him at least one more title, and then made the surest prediction ever.

James is in Miami now. He has a better supporting cast than in Cleveland, not to mention four NBA Most Valuable Player awards. He is on the cusp of a third consecutive appearance in the Finals since joining the Heat in 2010, seeking a legacy-building second straight championship.

"Knowing the player that he was then and the trajectory he was on, I had no doubt he would be back here," Duncan said Wednesday.

'Driving their success'

There was another young star on the rise in Cleveland that night, and you didn't have to look hard to spot him. He was the guy in the Spurs' locker room, cradling and kissing his Finals MVP trophy like a newborn baby.

Tony Parker was 25 then, a two-time All-Star, and nowhere near the player he would become.

As James again takes the NBA Finals stage, he will find a familiar face - but a different player - standing in his way.

Having supplanted Duncan as the team's centerpiece, the 31-year-old Parker has emerged as the propelling force behind the Spurs' bid to reclaim a championship after a six-year dry spell.

"He was the best player in the Western Conference playoffs each game," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Spurs' All-Star point guard. "He was driving their success."

Like James, Parker used failure as fuel for self-improvement. Unlike his Miami counterpart, Parker didn't have to change addresses to do it.

An Olympic challenge

After being outplayed by Memphis' Mike Conley in a first-round flameout in 2011, Parker returned to France to lead his national team to an Olympic berth.

It was in that Olympic qualifying tournament that today's incarnation of Parker was born. When Parker returned stateside, Popovich challenged him to apply the same fire and leadership to his day job.

"I took it as a challenge to improve my game and get better every year," said Parker, who is averaging postseason career highs in points (23) and assists (7.2) per game. "As the responsibility and the ball came into my hands, I try to do more and try to deliver."